Warriors: Stars in the Night
by RonfaurePony
Summary: (Set in the future from OotS, rated T for language.) When two humans die in a car crash, they are reborn as Warrior Cats. But with one remembering everything about their past life, will they be able to survive in the lake territories? And whats this about a prophecy that spells darkness for the Clans?
1. Allegiance

**Allegiance**

**ThunderClan:**

Leader: Icestar - Blue smokey tom with green eyes.

Deputy: Treetail - Golden tom with a long graceful tail.

Medicine Cat: Snakeeyes - Silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes, and a  
kinked tail.  
Medicine Cat Apprentice: Sandpaw - Ginger Tabby Tom with scars on his  
back.

Warriors:

Twitchstripe - Red Tabby tom with amber eyes.  
Apprentice: Thornpaw

Vinenettle - Grey she-cat with a bent tail.

Sunfur - Calico she-cat with deep green eyes.  
Apprentice: Mudpaw

Rockpelt - Black smokey tom with hazel eyes.  
Apprentice: Dogpaw

Voleheart - Silver tabby she-cat with copper eyes.

Apprentices:

Thornpaw - Brown Tabby with grey eyes.

Dogpaw - Dark Grey She-Cat with Green eyes.

Mudpaw - Dark Brown Tom with Blue eyes.

Queens:

Cinderspot - Grey and White she-cat. (Mother to Wildkit, a Calico  
she-cat, and Applekit, a blue she-cat)

Quilltooth - Brown Tabby with long fangs. (Mother to Acornkit, a Red  
Tabby, Ripplekit, a Grey Tabby, and Flowerkit, a Brown Tabby)

Elders:

Salmoneye - Brown Tabby with blind green eyes.

Crystalfoot - Blue Tabby with Blue eyes.

Pinefoot - Brown and White tom with grey eyes.

**RiverClan:**

Leader: Mountianstar - Red Tabby Tom with Copper Eyes.

Deputy: Roseheart - Brown and White she-cat with Green Eyes.

Medicine Cat: Streamstone - Black Tom with amber eyes.  
Medicine Cat Apprentice: Oakbranch - Red tabby with green eyes.

Warriors:

Lionnose - Blue smokey tom with grey eyes.

Brightlegs - Brown and white she-cat.  
Apprentice: Troutpaw

Goldenflight - Red Tabby tom with amber eyes.

Crimsonmouth - Brown tabby tomwith yellow eyes.  
Apprentice: Quailpaw

Sedgewing - Dark Brown Tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Queens:

Rabbitfoot - Cream tabby with green eyes.

Elders:

Frozenheart - Ginger tabby with gold eyes.

Blackstone - Black she-cat.

**WindClan:**

Leader: Mousestar - Grey Tabby She-Cat with Orange eyes.

Deputy: Flightwing - Dark grey she-cat.

Medicine Cat: Tigerpelt - Light brown tabby with Gold Eyes.  
Medicine Cat Apprentice: Reedlegs - Red tabby tom with blue eyes.

Warriors:

Flamepsark - Red Tabby Tom with Yellow Eyes.  
Apprentice: Freezepaw.

Cleareyes - Silver Tabby she-cat with Blue Eyes.

Oneeye - Blue she-cat with one blue eye.  
Apprentice: Rosepaw.

Cherrystride - Light Brown Tabby She-Cat with green eyes.

Dreamwish - Blue and white Tom with gold eyes.  
Apprentice: Boulderpaw

Queens:

Wheattail - Red Tabby with Blue eyes.

Elders:

None.

ShadowClan:

Leader: Rainstar - Light Brown Tabby She-Cat with Gold Eyes.

Deputy: Swiftlegs - Dark Brown Tabby Tom with Hazel Eyes.

Medicine Cat: Snowbird - Grey and White Tom with Blue Eyes.  
Medicine Cat Apprentice: Rustpaw - Red Tabby she-cat

Warriors:

Creekfrog - Silver Tabby tom with Orange Eyes.

Robinpounce - Grey Tabby tom with Blue Eyes.

Goosefoot - Brown Tabby she-cat with Blue Eyes.  
Apprentice: Larkpaw.

Doehoof - Brown with White She-cat with green eyes.  
Apprentice: Batpaw.

Marshscar - Red Tabby tom with scars over his eye.

Queens:

Russetfur - Black she-cat.

Adderfang - Brown She-Cat with white.

Elders:

Ratclaw - Red Tabby with White.

**Humans:**

Laurel - 18 year old teenage girl.  
Christian - 16 year old girl.


	2. Prologue: Into the Night

**Prologue:**

(Christian POV)

"Come on Christian, live a little!" Laurel giggled as she set the red  
cup of beer down. "Laurel, you're not even old enough to drink, and  
I'm not letting you drive. Call Jamie to drive us home." I rolled my  
eyes to my sister and pushed open the car door. It was 10 o' clock  
when she last checked the clock in the bar when it stopped moving all  
around the wall, and the two siblings had to be home by midnight. "I  
can make it. No worries. I didn't drink that much. Don't you trust  
your big sister?" I glared at my older sibling and sighed, slowly  
getting inside the car.

I never really understood why Laurel had gone to drinking instead of  
getting help like she promised. Since our mother and father left us  
the house and never returned, Laurel started to act funny, and I  
wasn't as stupid as she made herself out to be at times. I asked and  
pleaded for Laurel to get help for the depression that made itself  
known through crying fits late at night and the mopey desire to stay  
in bed unless she had a beer in her hand.

Every time I asked, Laurel said she would. And every time she said  
those words, nothing ever same out of it.

I sighed and looked out the window. Trees blurred into green and blue  
images as the car went faster and faster down the road to Jamie's  
place. My eyes starayed down the familiar path as I realized that  
Jamie's new home must be nearby the old campsite at the lake. Me and  
Laurel used to go to the beach and camp every summer before school.  
The memories flooded my mind and I let them take hold of me briefly,  
analysing and making sure they were just as good as I remembered.

There was always one memory that was particularly vivid for me, and  
one that she kept close to my heart.

I remembered how one summer morning, my sister and I were walking  
along the beach and splashing eachother, picking up shells and just  
talking about nothing special. I had been picking up a shell when she  
saw a dead squirrel near it. Laurel recoiled and said that something  
must have killed it. I looked up at the bushes and saw it.

Two green eyes looking at me from the bush.

I screamed and shouted that something was in the bushes, but when  
Laurel checked there was nothing. She called me a cry baby and went  
to tell mother that I got scared by a bush. But I knew that something  
was there, something was...watching me.

A sudden jolt had returned me to the present, and the whole world  
flipped upside down.

A sickening crunch sounded off in her ear and a spike of pain jolted  
up my arm. The world stoped spinning and I felt both glass and  
asphalt on my face. A sticky sensation was building up on my chest,  
and I knew that it was blood. My sight flickered as I looked around  
to Laurel. She was bleeding like me, and her head was covered in  
it..I need to help her. No..my limbs are not working. I can't move,  
and the worlds starting to fade away.

The last thing I could see was that cats eyes before the world turned  
black.


	3. Chapter 1: Into the Wild

**Chapter 1: Into the Wild.**

(Laurels PoV)

"Are you sure she is going to open her eyes soon, Cinderspot?"

_"What...where am I..."_

"I'm sure she will. Shes a strong kit."

_"Who are those voices...why can I see nothing?"_

"But Applekit has already opened her eyes. Even Ripplekit did not take this long to open his eyes when the time came."

_"The ground feels soft...where did my car go?"_

She opened one eye and both eyes flew open in shock. This wasn't the Roasted Toad, where was her car? _"Don't tell me someone stole my car again.."_ She thought, looking around at her surroundings. It looked like some sort of wooden dome, and... _"What the hell are giant cats doing here?!"_

"Wildkit, you've opened your eyes!" The grey and white cat purred, making Laurel bristle her..fur? _"When did I get fur?!"_ "It must be hard opening your eyes for the first time, Wildkit. But you'll get used to it, just like your sister." A secondary voice called out, making her turn her head. It was a brown cat with long white fangs. "I told you she would open her eyes when she is ready." The grey cat meowed to the brown cat -Quilltooth?. _"What is going on.."_ Laurel attempted to open her mouth, but made a confused squeak when she felt whiskers on her face. Her ears twitched, and she felt something behind her move. She twirled around, but saw nothing but a grey opened her mouth once more and saw a large pink nose. _"What...What have I become! Don't...Don't tell me I'm a...I'm..a.."_

"Wildkit! Your eyes are open! Now we can go and play!"

Laurel turned around to face a cat her own size, a grey cat with stripes on her back. She was grinning and her tail was bristling. "Now you can come and play, come on! Acornkit, Ripplekit, and Flowerkit are going to play mouse hunt, and they said that we could be the hunters this time!" Laurel shrunk back and felt herself bump into the larger she-cats flank again. _"I..I can understand these cats..unless..its because I'm a cat."_

"Applekit, don't scare your sister. She just opened her eyes and shes still getting used to seeing everything." The larger cat meowed sternly, making the grey kitten-Applekit- lower her head in shame. "But we finally get the be the mouse hunters! Ripplekit said that Wildkit was too small to play but now she can show that she can play just like us!"

"Come now, Cinderspots." Quilltooth purred, making Laurel look from her to the grey cat. _"Cinderspots...she smells...familiar._" "You can't expect kits to follow the rules all the time. Remember when you and Treetail kept bothering Pinefoot when he was a Warrior?" Cinderspots fur bristled and Laurel could feel annoyance radiating from her pelt. "That was because our mother didn't pay attention to us at all. Treetail was lucky that our father made it to us safely when we snuck out to see the lake." Quilltooth rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, they are your kits after all. But please, for the love of StarClan, let them have a little fun."

Laurel felt a nose scoot her out of the nest, making her squeal in discomfort. "Go on Wildkit. Go play with your denmates. I'll be here if you need any milk." Laurel wrinkled her nose; She hated the taste of milk, even when her own mother bottle fed her. She looked down at her paws-_"Oh great, I have paws too"_-and slowly wobbled her way to Applekit. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Flowerkit and Ripplekit go easy on you!" Applekit grinned and she dashed off out of the entrance of the den. Laurel shrugged her shoulders and followed after her.

The first thing that met her was the blinding light of the sun. She squeaked in discomfort and covered her eyes with her paws. The second thing that met her was a small crowd of voices.

"Wildkit!"

"Look, Wildkit opened her eyes!"

"Over here Wildkit! You can be the hunter this time!"

_"Why is everyone calling me Wildkit?"_ She thought with an irritating growl, looking around to see where exactly she was. It looked like a small village in the middle of a cliff...or maybe it was because she was as small as a kitten. There were dens made out of bark and vines, and a lot of other cats inside of them, and it was all surrounded by thorns. _"These cats..live in a village! But how? I thought someone would have called the police or the news that cats can be this smart!"_ Her eyes strained to see any farther than the camp, when the voices called out to her again.

"We're over here Wildkit!" She craned her head around to see who was calling out. She saw Applekit next to three strange kittens, all of them looking at her expectantly. _"Those must be...what did she call them...Acornkit, Ripplekit, and Flowerkit. They have really strange names here."_ Laurel made her way over to the group of kits and sat near the brown tabby. "Finally." The grey tabby grunted, earning a glare from Applekit. "Shut up Ripplekit. You're just mad because you can't be the hunter!" Applekit hissed. Ripplekit grumbled and looked away. "So...how to we play?" Laurel asked, still trying to get used to her new squeaky voice. "Thats easy. We all will hide around the camp and you and Applekit try to seek us!" The brown tabby meowed with a wicked grin. "Don't worry though. Acornkit will be easy to find with his big red pelt." Acornkit huffed, "Shut up Flowerkit. Just because you have a brown pelt doesn't mean anyone can't see you either! Remember when you tried to hide in the Leader Den?"  
Applekit chuckled, "You got in so much trouble with Icestar! And then you got such a scolding from Treetail too!"  
_"Icestar...Treetail...are they more cats?"_

"Well, what are we waiting for? We will go hide! Applekit, Wildkit, no peeking!" Acornkit meowed before running away with his litter mates. "Lucky furballs. They already know the best hiding spots. We're going to have to look up and down the whole camp to look for them!" Laurel sighed inwardly at the prospect of looking all around the camp. She looked at the grey cat when shock suddenly overtook her and her fur fluffed up.

Applekits eyes were the same as Christians. So that must mean... _"Christians a cat too?"_


	4. Chapter 2: ThunderClan's Pride and Joy

**Chapter 2: ThunderClan's Pride and Joy.**

(Applekits PoV)

"Make sure you are clean and ready to meet your father. He is a very respectable Warrior and he shouldn't have to look at his kits covered in filth and mud." Cinderspot meowed, licking Wildkit by the ears while she squirmed. Applekit snickered; She had to go through the same hard washing when she woke up, and a Cinderspot washing wasn't something you wanted to do over and over again. But she felt a spark in her heart and her fur puffed up like a child excited on christmas morning. Today was the day they got to see their father!

"I'm clean, okay? Get off me!" Wildkit snapped at Cinderspots, who glared at her in return. "Did someone put burrs in your nest again, Wildkit?" Applekit grinned while the Calico glared at her as well. _"Shes been in such a mood since she opened her eyes...what gives?"_ She snorted in her head. Cinderspots turned her head and her ears pricked, along with Applekits and Windkits. "Here comes your father and his patrol. Be still, both of you!"

The bushes rumbled and at first, a red tabby and another calico she-cat made their way into the ThunderClan camp, one of them carrying a sparrow while the other wistfully looked on. "Thats Sunfur and Twitchstripe. They're both very good hunters, but I would not expect Twitchstripe to be a good fighter. She has the word 'twitch' in her name for a reason." Applekit rolled her eyes. Every time a new Warrior was shown to her and her sister, Cinderspots always felt the need to tell them their strengths and weaknesses. She said that it was good so they know what to expect when they get a mentor. "Isn't Twitchstripe mentoring Thornpaw?" Wildkit meowed. "Yes, and he seems to show the same disposition as Twitchstripe." Her mother meowed disaprrovingly.

The next few cats to come were a grey tabby and silver tabby, and a dark grey she-cat following after both of them. "Wow! That cat has a crooked tail!" Applekit squealed before her mother placed a tail over her mouth. "Hush! Vinenettle may have a bent tail, but she is a very capable Warrior." Wildkit grinned at her sister, and Applekit stuck her tongue out. _"Furball. She got washed extra hard for her sour attitude."_

"That apprentice over there was your fathers apprentice, Dogpaw. She is a fighter and likes to take charge of things. I wouldn't be surprised if she became Leader one day." Cinderspots huffed. "And the silver tabby was Voleheart. She is the Leaders sister, but she never had enough ambition of strength to become Leader..." She seemed to end that note with a huff. _"Does she not like Voleheart?"_

Applekit looked around the camp and decided to focus on the Elders den. Acornkit and Flowerkit were listening to Crystalfoot tell a story, and Pinefoot correcting how the tale really went. _"They must be listening to the story about the great battle against the Dark Forest. None of them were even kits when it happened!_" She thought with a giggle.

The bushes at the entrance of camp rustled once more, and Cinderspots stood straight up. "This time its your father. Quickly, stand up straight and look your best." She meowed in a rush. Both Wildkit and Applekit straightened their backs til it hurt and watched as two cats padded out into the camp. The first one was a dark brown apprentice, who she faintly recognized as Mudpaw. He was very kind to the kits in the Nursery, and didn't seem to mind when he had to clean the stinky kit bedding. The other one was a black smokey tom, and she knew that it had to be their father. "Rockpelt, over here. Come and see your kits. They've been very eager to meet you." Cinderspot purred.

The black tom looked at Cinderspots and then at his daughter, prowling down to them with the dignity and grace of a warrior of the ancient LionClan. It almost made her flinch._ "How can I be the daughter of someone so..majestic? I nearly tripped over the rocks in the Clan twice, and had some of the fresh kill fall on me!"_ She thought as she looked into the toms hazel eyes. He watched them impassively, then broke out into a wide grin. "They're so wonderful!" He purred, putting a nose to their heads. She could almost feel him tremble, but she could very much hear Cinderspots snort like when she saw her or Wildkit do something wrong.

"How was your hunting patrol, Rockpelt? I heard that Icestar picked you to lead the patrol today." Cinderspot purred, only to get tail flicked by Rockpelt. "Oh, it was fine I guess. The entire patrol caught enough prey to last a day...but wow." His gaze was only for his daughters, full of pride and wonder. "I didn't know they were this tiny! Were we this tiny when we were kits, Cinderspots? Can they talk yet? Go ahead, talk! I won't bite since these teeth are for prey and ShadowClanners only!" He chuckled at his own joke, and Applekit relaxed. _"Maybe this won't be so bad after all.."_

"I'm Applekit!" The grey she-cat squeaked out. "And this is Wildkit! Its an honor to meet you father!" Wildkit nodded, though she seemed...less enthusiastic. _"Why does she look...sad looking at our father? Isn't it great to be the kits of a great Warrior?"_ Rockpelt snorted and waved a paw. "You don't need to say that. We're family, let go play a game!" He grinned and his hazel eyes brightened up. "I'll be the great hungry badger!" Applekit grinned and crouched down, pouncing onto her fathers back while Wildkit squealed and pounced onto Rockpelt as well, making the black tom fall over. "Nooo, I've been beaten by ThunderClan Warriors!" He laughed, putting a paw on Wildkits head and rubbing it. Cinderspots snorted and padded back to the Nursery.

"Daddy, whats it like to fight in a battle?" Applekit squeaked. "Its very tough. Most of the time you're on the look out on who is going to attack you, and you're always trying to one up your opponent without killing them." Rockpelt smirked slowly. "But don't let that get you down. Fighting can be fun if its with Clan mates." Wildkit scooted onto his fathers belly. "Is it true that you caught a squirrel when you hunted for the first time?" The black tom laughed, "You've been listening to Cinderspots too much. She fawned over me as an apprentice, and swore that I caught everything in every hunting patrol. But no, my first prey was a mouse, and a very slippery mouse as well!"

The kits grinned and looked like they wanted to ask some more when the Clan froze. A yowl was heard on the high rock as the sun began its decent into the horizon. A blue smokey tom looked down upon the Clan and called out, "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey please assemble under the highrock for a Clan meeting!" Applekit and Wildkit looked at each other with shock. It was Icestar, the Clan leader! "He hasn't been up there since we lost that piece of territory from WindClan." Rockpelt mused, his eyes darkening at the reminder of the failed battle. "Something good must be happening if hes finally up there making meetings." Applekit opened her mouth to say something, but Cinderspots yowl interrupted her. "You two, get inside the Nursery!"

"Relax, Cinderspots. If its what I think it is, then these two will want to see it." Rockpelt grinned, but Cinderspots shook her head. "They are not old enough to catch their own prey, and it is almost feeding time for them anyway." Applekit saw Wildkit shudder, and was about to ask what was wrong when the grey she-cat interrupted again. "You two are coming with me while the meeting is going on. And do not leave this den!" She pushed them both until they were inside the Nursery walls then left to the group.

Applekit looked at Wildkit, and then at the Nursery. Quilltooth was sleeping in the den, and she saw Acornkit, Ripplekit, and Flowerkit scratching at the back of the den. "What are you all doing?" Applekit asked, while Wildkit gave a smirk. "What does it look like Applekit? They want to know what the meeting is about as well." Acornkit nodded as he scratched away the last part of the hole. "Come on! If it is what I think it is, we're in for a treat!" Flowerkit grinned as she waltzed her way out with the other kits.

Applekit grinned and saw he entire Clan gathered around the High rock. She saw everyone, and even caught a glimpse of Snakeeyes and Sandpaw. "Aren't they the Medicine cat and apprentice?" Applekit squeaked, earning an eye roll from Flowerkit. "Yeah. Sandpaw seemed to be very angry today. Probably because Snakeeyes had been running him dry for weeks since the battle between WindClan and ThunderClan." Her eyes fluttered from the silver tabby to the ginger tabby, then back to Icestar as he began the meeting.

"As many of you know, we lost out battle against WindClan and failed to protect our borders." The blue smokey tom began. The crowd murmered its disapproval. "Mousestar will no doubt brag about this at the next Gathering, but what they do not know is that on the day after the Gathering, ThunderClan will reclaim what is ours!" The gathered cats yowled its approval, along with chants of 'ThunderClan, ThunderClan!'. "We will never be driven out of our territory ever again. But to do this, we will need all the Warriors we can get. Thornpaw, Twitchstripe, please step forward."

The kits eyes trained on on the mentor and apprentice pair. "I knew it! Thornpaw is getting his Warrior name today!" Flowerkit grinned. "Which means that one of the Warriors will be free for mentoring!" Acornkit rolled his eyes, "But we won't be apprentices for another two moons! Icestar doesn't want kit apprentices like Brokenstar did, does he?" All the kits shuddered at the mention of the terrible leader in Nursery tales.

"Twitchstripe." Icestar meowed. "Has Thornpaw proven himself worthy for his Warrior name?" The red tabby nodded, "H-He has, I-Icestar. T-Thornpaw has proven himself a capable Warrior and a shining ex-example to the Clan." Icestar nodded and looked up at StarClan as he recited the age-old tradition of the Clans.

"I, Icestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." The blue tom looked down at Thornpaw. "Thornpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Thornpaw raised his head up high. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your Warrior name. Thornpaw, from this point on, you will be known as Thornfrost. StarClan honors your courage and resourcefulness, and we welcome you as a full Warrior of ThunderClan." The Leader lowered his head and allowed the warrior to lick his shoulder, and the crowd around him started cheering. "Thornfrost, Thornfrost, Thornfrost!"

Applekit grinned and looked at her denmates, who were all grinning the same. "Wow, Thornpaw became a Warrior! I bet hes going to sleep easy in the Warriors den tonight." Acornkit nodded while Flowerkit did a small twirl behind her brother. "Wow wow wow! That ceremony was so amazing! I wonder what our Warrior names will be!" She grinned. "Well, mines going to be something great! Like Acornblaze, or Acornroar, or-" "Or maybe they'll call you Acornbutt." Flowerkit grinned at her brother, while the former snorted and went back through the hole to the Nursery. "Wow..I wonder what our names will be Wildkit!" Applekit grinned at her sister, but frowned when Wildkit seemed to not be paying attention. "Wildkit! Honestly, you never pay attention when the good things happen!"

Wildkit looked at her sister and sighed. "Lets go back in. Cinderspots will yell at us if we are not in our nests." The calico meowed before scooting her way into the Den. Applekit just stared at her for a moment and sighed. _"Why do you have to be so difficult, Wildkit."_


	5. Chapter 3: The Way of Knowing

**Chapter 3: The Way of Knowing.**

(Laurel PoV)

_"Where...Where am I now?"_

**"Wildkit...Wildkit..."**

_"Who...Who was that?"_

**"Wildkit, daughter of twolegs..."**

_"Twolegs..."_

**"Darkness rises with the mountain and spreads with the rain.."**

_"Darkness...rises?"_

**"Ice will wane and mice devoured. Trees will fall and roses wither."**

_"Ice...tree...I don't understand!"_

**"Only when Storm strikes will peace come, but the highest price must be paid."**

_"Highest..price? Wait! What do you.."_

* * *

Laurel woke up with a jolt, looking around wildly. She saw Applekit and Cinderspots still sleeping and Quilltooth resting with her kits, and the calico she-cat breathed a sigh of relief. _"It was just a dream."_ She thought. _"A nightmare, a hallucination...what I wouldn't give to have a beer right about now." _She missed the taste of beer to be sure. It was one of her comforts when she was still human, and it made the world easier to tolerate. She shook her head at the memories before they came, banishing them to the darkest region of her mind. Those memories of her human life wouldn't do good here. She was a cat now, a kit of ThunderClan. _"But how did I get here in the first place...and who was that voice in my dream?"_

Laurel shook her head and laid back down into the mossy nest. None of it made sense to her anymore. She remembered leaving the bar, and waking up in this strange group of cats. She tried her hardest to get used to the Clan ways and fit in, and yet her thoughts always returned to the thoughts of her home, her human body, and especially her sister. _"What happened to us that made us turn into cats...and why can't Christian remember us when we were human?" _The calico she-cat tried at every possible moment to remind Christian, or to make a memory come back, but she seemed set on believing that she was Applekit, and she had always been a cat. _"Maybe shes doing this because of the drinking.." _Laurel slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The sun filtered through the rafters of the den, waking up Laurel before Cinderspots and Applekit were awake. But she noticed that she was not alone in being awake. Her green eyes trained on the figure slithering out the entrance way and she followed after him. "Hey! What are you doing, its not even Sunhigh ye-" She started to squeak before a paw covered her mouth. It was Ripplekit's paw. "You'll get me caught if you don't be quiet." He growled, looking annoyed as he lowered his paw. "And you're not supposed to be out here at all! Quilltooth told you that you guys can't come out until the battle was over!"

Icestar took his Warriors to the Gathering the night before, and from what she heard from Dogpaw, things were not good. Mousestar had bragged about how WindClan won what was rightfully theirs, but Icestar and his Warriors chose a few biting remarks about the legitimacy of it. WindClan and ThunderClan had been fighting over that patch of land since the previous leader of WindClan, Leapstar, had died in a battle near the lake.

"So what if Quilltooth doesn't let us out? Shes just smothering us anyway. We're almost five moons old and she still treats us like stupid kits." Ripplekit spat out. "I'm going to wait for them out here so we can hear about how we kicked WindClans sorry tails back over the river!" Laurel snorted, but she knew that Ripplekit couldn't really be reasoned with. _'He has been like that since the death of his father.'_ Cinderspots had told her. _'He was a strong warrior, but he is safe from WindClan's claws in StarClan.'_

"Fine. I'll stay out here with you." Laurel growled. "Just don't be crabby when Quilltooth sees you out here and punishes you for it." Ripplekit said nothing, but flicked his tail to show that he heard her. She padded away from the grey tabby, taking a peek inside all the dens to see who went and who left. _"Looks like Dogpaw was left behind, but they look Mudpaw as well."_ She thought. _"And every Warrior except Twitchstripe went with Icestar and Treetail."_

The bushes nearby the Leaders den rustled, and Sandpaw came out of the den and saw her. "Wildkit!" He called out, limping over while taking care not to agitate his back. "You know you're not allowed to be outside so early. What are you doing snooping around the dens?" She felt her ears burn for a minute. "I wanted to see who went with Icestar and the battle patrol! Everyone seemed to want to go and take back our territory!" She answered, but she only got a snort from the ginger tom. "You mean they want to avenge the loss of the many Warriors in the battles against WindClan." He sighed and sat down. "I can't leave you kits unsupervised, so don't do anything stupid. I don't want Cinderspots yelling at me because you wanted to play in mud."

_"He seems so pissed off all the time."_ Laurel growled in her mind, but turned away and went to the fresh kill pile. Squirrels, mice, pheasants, and lizards poured from all angles. They looked almost tasty to the she-cat, but she still felt a little sick when she felt hungry. If she couldn't stand milk, she couldn't stand the thought of eating raw meat. _"Why can't these stupid cats eat burgers, or bacon, or...something better than just some raw meat!"_ She pawed a mouse off the bottom of the pile and made a disgusted face._ "How am I ever going to eat this when Cinderspots milk dries up."_

"Well? Are you going to eat it, or just look stupid?" Sandpaw called after her, looking more impatient and annoyed. "I can't eat meat yet! Cinderspots hasn't let us try prey yet." Laurel growled in return. It was as if every tom was out to get her or something. _"Every tom except Acornkit.."_

"THEY'RE COMING BACK! THE PATROLS COMING BACK!"

Ripplekit sounded off near the entrance, running away when the first set of thunderous paws trampled into the camp. Many were bloody and some seemed in serious condition. Wildkit stared in shock. _"No...don't tell me they lost.."_ She looked at every cat carefully and started to assess the damages. "_Sunfur has scratches along her flank, and Vinenettle looked even worse..oh god, and Rockpelt looks even worse than them."_ She looked at them all, but realized something strange: She couldn't see Icestar among them.

Snakeeyes ran out of the medicine den and looked at each of her Clan mates, then at Sandpaw. "Sandpaw, get marigold, cobwebs, and thyme for shock." She snapped, making Sandpaw bristle. _"Like mentor, like apprentice."_ Laurel thought with a smirk as Sandpaw vanished into the den.

The bushes bristled as Treetail made his way into the camp. "Treetail!" Cinderspots called out from the Nursery, hurrying to the golden tom and pressing her head against his flank. "Easy, sister..I'm fine. It will take a lot more than WindClan scum to hurt me." He rumbled, not looking at his sister but at his Clanmates. _"Sister...I'm related to the Deputy?"_ Wildkit felt a small tinge of shock, but she let it go just as fast. She saw Applekit coming her way and looking worried as well. "Wheres Icestar? Did you see him come in with the battle patrol?" She meowed, and looked very worried when Laurel shook her head.

Soon, the other Warriors were asking where Icestar was, and why he was not inside the camp. Snakeeyes and Sandpaw were working their hardest the heal up the Clan, but even the youngest kit could see worry on their faces. Treetail slowly made his way up to the High rock, and the Clan went silent.

"ThunderClan, I regret to inform you...WindClan had killed our Leader."


End file.
